Just Keep Vacuuming
by Evil-Ekat
Summary: After all, there was still vacuuming to be done. She stared down at the floor as she continued to vacuum, a futile attempt to drown out the noise. If she could just keep vacuuming, she would never be hurt. If she could just keep vacuuming, the pain would go away. If she could just keep vacuuming, no one would ever know.


**You know what I realized? The scariest character in Gravity Falls is one you'd normally never think about. Mrs. Gleeful. What's her story? How was Gideon conceived? Did she love Bud at a time? This woman is clearly trapped in an abusive relationship, yet her battered woman's syndrome is passed off as petty humour. Now ****_that _****is scary. Sorry Bill, but you don't hold a candle to this woman!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

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><p><em>Just keep vacuuming...<em>

"And stay out ya' worthless little whelp!"

"B-but father-"

"You're not ma' son anymore Jesùs! You think you can just go off an work for that Pines man?! Stay outta' my house!"

"He had offered me a job, what was I supposed to do?" Came the desperate plea.

"Get outta' here before I call the police!"

She flinched as the door was so fiercely slammed that the entire foundation shook. Even the sound of her vacuuming could not drown out the argument, and her husband's temper. He was mad, very, very mad. And now she had just lost her only son. The boy was just barely sixteen, what would he do off in the world on his own? There was no place for him elsewhere, his whole life had been in Gravity Falls. But if what Bud said was true and he had gotten a job, at least he would be able to support himself. Maybe live with his grandma as well. At least he would be safe, have a roof over his head.

But what had really hurt was how he had not even bothered to look at her, or say goodbye. Her only son had ignored her just as she had begun to ignore him since the day he was born. She supposed she desrved it though. She had been the only refuge for the boy, the only way to hide from his overbearing father. Yet she had still receded from him as Bud made more of a literal impact on what she could and could not do.

It was her fault for treating the boy with affection. It was her fault for making sure he always got to school, and was clean. Her fault he at least had a little bit of food in his mouth so he would not always look so starved. It was her fault for letting him show weakness every now and then as he cried. She may have not left the house since the day she got married to her husband, but she knew that Stanford Pines would always be more of a father to her little Soos then Bud would ever be.

_Don't look left, don't look right. Just keep vacuuming..._

She concentrated on the threadbare rug, making sure the edges were not pulled by the vacuum. But as she continued to make sure the living room carpet was free from dust, the woman knew something was wrong. Something was very wrong. She could not tell what it was though, and she didn't dare look away from her work to see what her husband was up to. That was too risky, she didn't want his temper to be spent on her.

He had been very angry and upset lately, and any provocation was enough to send him flying into a rage. Cursing his only son and Stanford Pines for stealing him away. Cursing her for not teaching their son better than to fraternize with a man she had not seen since the day she was married to him. It was always the worst of the pain he directed to her in an attempt to do something.

But now, all was silent throughout their modest house. Something must have been wrong, or would soon be going wrong. An instinct told her that it would unleash a pain on her like she had never felt before. She would have run if there was any fight left in her. She would have run years ago if there was any fight left in her. But there wasn't. And now that her only son had left for good, it seemed that there was nothing left worth fighting for. All she could do was keep vacuuming in the hopes that she would be able to hide the deafening silence that haunted her so. Suddenly, the noise was broken by the voice of her husband calling to her in an unfamiliar tone;

"Wife, could you come in here for a minute?"

She did not recognize this new note in her husband's voice, yet she was certain that whatever it was could not be good for her. Nothing ever was after all.

"Wife!" He called after her once more.

She flinched. Knowing there was no choice but to obey her husband's commands, she turned off her beloved vacuum. Then she cautiously and noiselessly made her way to their bedroom, where she then entered. The woman did not know what had happened next, but she suddenly found herself being pushed back on to the bed and pinned under her husband's weight as he began to kiss her, and then pull up the skirts of her green dress.

She tried to fight him away at first, but of course she was not match for him in anyway, and a few slaps knocked her back in to submission. As the man continued, a dim realization came across her; Another child. She would bare yet another one of this monster's children, and this time she would have absolutely no say in it's creation.

_Don't fight back, don't feel hope. Just keep vacuuming..._

She wished she could just hide in the chaotic, swirling vortex of her vacuum, let the noise drown out everything the man she saw as a friend at one time did to her. But she could not. There was no room for her and his newest child to hide. She would give birth and watch as another monster was raised. One who would follow in his father's footsteps, and even whip him back into submission as he let the boy have everything he wanted. Including that girl.

She was barely twelve, only a few years older than her son now was. But she had been the same age when he had met the man, along with his host of friends and enemies in the town. Seeing her nervously sitting there at the kitchen table made something in her spark. She was still young, and so innocent. Just waiting there for her forced date to come downstairs. He was already shaping up in to his father's footsteps.

She cast nervous glances between herself and the entrance to the kitchen, her still sparkling with a bit of life and apprehension. She twisted a lock of dark brown hair around her fingers as she waited patiently there. She had been beautiful at one time as well. She had sparkling eyes and glossy hair, a figure that had matured with time. Only now she was grey and frazzled as time wore down on her, feeding her son her own food left her starving, along with the constant being used as a mere play thing by her husband.

"Run girl, run while you still can."

Without realizing it she had softly uttered it to the girl, ceasing her vacuuming in order to give her a final fleeting warning before it was too late for her too. She did not think she could bare it if this girl was destroyed like she had been by her own husband. To see another woman like herself be taken by the white-haired monster who had just walked into the threshold might kill her.

"Why mother! Shouldn't you be cleaning the floors?"

She quickly nodded without hesitation and scurried out of the room with her precious escape from the world in tow. She begged to some higher force that this girl would be spared her horrible fate.

_Don't be seen, don't be known. Just keep vacuuming..._

The girl escape, and a wrath like she had never felt before left her with the entirety of the blame. While Mabel Pines may have escaped the endless torture of the Gleeful men, she never would. She would remain trapped here as the years passed by until she was dead.

Time seemed to fast forwards then. Suddenly Stanford Pines and his family became their new target, especially Mabel Pines who seemed destined to become Gideon's queen. Both the boy and his father went out day after day as they attempted to get what they decided was rightfully their's. She just remained there, becoming the one they focused their hate one when they returned empty-handed.

Yet one day they did not come home empty-handed and filled with anger from their losses. And so for the first time in thirty years she was permitted to go outside. But even that was over as quickly as it started. She vacuumed there inside of the Mystery Shack, glad the attention could finally be drawn elsewhere.

"Police! Don't move! Bud Gleeful you're under arrest for aiding in conspiracy and fraud!"

Casting a glance over at her, the officer added;

"Along with long-term abuse!"

She ignored as her husband was dragged out of the room by the police officers. After all, there was still vacuuming to be done. She stared down at the floor as she continued to vacuum, a futile attempt to drown out the noise. If she could just keep vacuuming, she would never be hurt. If she could just keep vacuuming, the pain would go away. If she could just keep vacuuming, no one would ever know.


End file.
